Police tape blocks off the crime scene outside a church where a man shot dead four people, including three of his children, before turning the gun on himself, February 28, 2022 in Sacramento, California. A father shot dead three of his own children on February 28 before turning the gun on himself in a US church, police said. A fifth person also died in the shooting in Sacramento, California, though it was not clear if that person was related to what police said was a domestic incident. (Photo by Andri Tambunan / AFP) (Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Arcadia, California – Authorities in Los Angeles County are investigating what appears to be a sprawling and deeply unsettling surrogacy arrangement involving at least 21 young children, multiple surrogate mothers, and a wealthy couple now under scrutiny for abuse and neglect.
The case began in May, when a local hospital reported a 2-month-old infant with a traumatic head injury, believed to be caused by a nanny violently shaking the child. According to Arcadia police, the baby had not been brought in for care until two days after the injury occurred. The ensuing investigation led officers to a $2 million home in Arcadia, a quiet suburb northeast of Los Angeles, where they discovered 15 children living in conditions described as both controlled and concerning.
The children, ranging in age from 2 months to 13 years, were quickly placed in protective custody by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Another six children connected to the couple, Silvia Zhang, 38, and Guojun Xuan, 65, were later located in the care of friends and relatives across the region. Law enforcement says most of the children are between the ages of 1 and 3.
Zhang and Xuan were arrested in May but have not yet been formally charged with neglect or abuse, as investigators continue to untangle the legal and ethical implications of the case. The couple told authorities they “wanted a large family.” Zhang presented what appeared to be legitimate birth certificates for each child, some issued out of state, listing herself as the mother.
What’s become clear, however, is that the children were not all biologically hers. Multiple women have since come forward claiming to be surrogates for Zhang and Xuan—each under the impression that she was the only one. One of them, a woman named Kayla from Texas, is now fighting for custody of the baby she delivered, after discovering the child is among the 21 now in foster care.
The Arcadia home, police say, was set up “like a school,” with surveillance footage showing disturbing instances of emotional and physical abuse by at least six nannies. The FBI has joined the investigation. Business records show that a surrogacy-related company, Mark Surrogacy Investment LLC, was previously registered at the address but dissolved in June.
“There are no laws against hiring multiple surrogate mothers at a time,” said Kallie Fell, executive director of the Center for Bioethics & Culture Network. “But as we can see, this case highlights inherent dangers of commercial surrogacy.”
As the legal questions mount—about parentage, fraud, and the regulation of surrogacy itself—one thing is tragically certain: more than 20 children have been caught in a human tangle of privilege, profit, and neglect. Their fates remain uncertain.
